By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON
For North Coast News
COPALIS BEACH — Phyllis Shaughnessy, the local great-grandmother whose efforts have led to 30,000 free lunches for low-income North Coast children in less than two years, has just received a huge reward for her efforts and boost for her cause, the Green Lantern Lunch Program, and more.
On Saturday, she was presented with a $100,000 award from The KIND Foundation, a non-profit begun by KIND Healthy Snacks.
Dana Rosenberg, Director of The KIND Foundation, came to Phyllis’ home in Copalis Beach Saturday to photograph the energetic senior and some of the team of volunteers she has assembled to work the free lunch program. She formally presented Phyllis with a $100,000 check, was part of a lengthy professional photo shoot, then she and her crew followed Phyllis as she delivered some free weekend food packages in the rural North Coast area.
Phyllis is among seven just-announced recipients of cash awards totaling $1.1 million from The KIND Foundation in the first year of their “KIND People” program, which launched in January with a call for nominations.
Rosenberg said, “Of the nearly 5,000 nominees we received, Phyllis stood out and she’s incredible for her empathy and her purpose and the fact that she’s totally unstoppable and her authenticity, that she was never looking to be celebrated or rewarded.”
Among the goals of the KIND People program, Rosenberg explained, is “to show that each of us has the opportunity and the power to make a difference in our communities and in our own lives — Phyllis has done all this on her own and has never stopped despite any of the obstacles and, she’s just extraordinary. If each of us just took one little step…we could all change this world and make it kinder.”
She beamed toward Phyllis and concluded, “It’s so special for us to have the opportunity to recognize her and all her good work and help her to continue it and continue to grow and shape the community in ways that she has already been doing and will continue to do.”
Since 2004, the KIND Healthy Snacks brand has been involved in various activities that champion kindness. Over the past year, the company has taken its social impact efforts to the next level with the KIND People program, by far its largest endeavor.
Tuesday, the Foundation announced the winners of the program, and launched a storytelling series “that aims to reveal the transformative power of kindness.” Through the program, the Foundation is awarding $1.1 million to seven people “who are championing inclusivity and serving as beacons of empathy in communities nationwide,” the announcement said.
“These remarkable human beings capture the spirit we need to elevate and the values that make America great, including kindness, respect and the conviction that we can make a positive difference in each other’s lives,” said Daniel Lubetzky, Founder & CEO of KIND and President of The KIND Foundation. “Most notably, these KIND People show us how to take steps toward understanding those who seem different, but deep down share our humanity.” The official announcement is available at www.kinded.com/kindpeople.
Earlier this year, Phyllis’ granddaughter, Jestine Wood, completed the paperwork and process to nominate her grandmother for the KIND People award. Phyllis made it through a couple rounds of evaluation and judging, so she knew she was in consideration.
“Of course I didn’t believe it,” Phyllis laughed as she recalled getting Rosenberg’s phone call with the Foundation’s final decision.
“We had our whole team on speakerphone and we shared the good news with her,” Rosenberg recounted.
“It’s very overwhelming, but I’m extremely honored and will hope to do the most that I can for the most people that I can in every way that I can,” Phyllis said. She also stated that the Green Lantern Lunch Program will not be her sole focus. The KIND Foundation award will help her to work on issues of hunger, homelessness, mental health and the elderly in the North Coast area.
The Green Lantern Lunch Program, named for the Copalis Beach pub that first helped support the endeavor, is the result of several years of Phyllis and others battling to get needy kids in the area free lunches during the summer, when they’re not getting them at school. Undeterred by a federal program that wasn’t a functional fit for the rural North Coast area, Phyllis led what is still a group of only a dozen or so volunteers, who simply wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Thirty thousand free lunches later, the program and its founder are getting noticed. Most important, she said, is the simple fact that, “The kids are getting fed,” more than 300 of them daily this summer. When the kids went back to school this fall, the program grew to offer weekend food packs to over 200 needy families.
It’s nothing new for the 75-year-old bundle of energy.
“I’ve always been connected with feeding kids and people,” she explained. She recalled one night in the ‘80s as a volunteer helping feed street people in Tacoma:
“I’ll never forget, a little kid ran up… he looked at me and looked and the counter and said, ‘Ahh! You’ve got milk!’ and his little eyes just went crazy. Stuff like that really sticks to me, because it should not be! So I’ve always done that kind of thing… there’s always stuff like that to be done if you look for it.”
She shared a hug with granddaughter Jestine and a big grin with the folks from The KIND Foundation, and then reminded everyone of why they had come together in a little coastal community on a windy, wintry Saturday morning:
“Let’s go feed some kids!” the “Lunch Lady” exclaimed.
More information in the Green Lantern Lunch Program can be found at www.facebook.com/GreenLanternLunches.
